More kids than ever are interested in science and astronomy, and what’s more magical than getting your very first telescope. We have reviewed a whole lot of telescopes to find out which ones are the best telescopes for kids.
All of the selected telescopes are easy to use, have quality optics and are friendly priced.
So are you ready to discover some out of this world telescopes?
Lunar Telescope for Kids by Dr. Cool
We wanted to start off with a really cool telescope and you do not get much cooler than this Lunar Telescope for Kids by Dr. Cool.
This is the ideal telescope for kids just getting into astronomy. A child will have no trouble setting this up and using it. It’s also quite impressive to see how powerful this is thanks to the optical glass lenses which have a 90 x close up view.
With this telescope your child will be able to see the moon, Venus and Mars and the larger planets like Jupiter and Saturn! Included with this awesome set is a tripod and even a small meteor rock! It even comes with a couple of fun guide and activity books to help them along their way.
Honestly if you would like to introduce your child into astronomy then this telescope would be a fantastic way to do it.
Celestron 70mm Travel Scope
Next on our best telescopes for kids list we have a telescope from Celestron. Celestron are well known in the world of telescopes, think of them as the Rolls Royce of the telescope world.
Well this Celestron 70mm telescope is just ideal for kids. We feel that this telescope is just as good for beginning astronomers as for kids who already have a small understanding of astronomy and want something a bit more powerful.
What they will love about this is the high quality optics and lenses of the Celestron, all these are made with specially coated glass. This means that the images your child will see are crystal clear! It is quite powerful telescope too which will show your child the details on the moon and planets like Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
Your child will also have no problem keeping the telescope steady as the Celestron comes with a strong and rigid tripod. The Celestron Travel Scope also comes with a handy travel bag and a great piece of software that makes it easy for your child to pinpoint some really cool celestial objects.
This is a great telescope that will provide your young astronomer years of sky gazing fun!
Black 60mm Compact Kids Refractor Telescope by Twinstar
Next on our list for best telescopes for kids we find the Compact Kids Refractor Telescope by Twinstar which would be great as a first telescope for a child just getting interested in the stars.
What is cool about this telescope is that it comes with two different eye pieces. It has a 6 mm (with 15 times magnification) and a 20 mm (with a 50 times magnification) eye piece so your child is going to get a pretty good view of the moon and the planets.
The people behind this telescope take a lot of pride in the fact that the telescope is easy for kids to set up and use. There is three steps to setting this up. It is so simple that the kids will be able to figure it out after just a couple of uses.
Kids will really love this telescope the craters on the moon and some of Jupiter’s moons are just a few of the cool things that they will be able to see.
Nancy B’s Science Club Moonscope by Educational Insights
Clearly with its purple (or pink in the right light) and green design, Nancy B’s Science Club Moonscope is aimed at girls.
This is an incredible telescope and actually it is an impressive set in general as it comes with a cool activity book that will help point out various objects in space, mountains on the moon, Saturn and Jupiter as well to name a few.
The telescope has two different eye pieces and the top magnification of this telescope is an incredible 90 x! One thing that we really like about this telescope is that it comes with this awesome moon scope which makes looking at the moon even easier.
Honestly this is a great starter telescope for a little lady who has an interest in science and astronomy. The recommended age for this is 8 to 11 and we are sure any little scientist who gets this will love it.
Orion GoScope II 70mm Refractor Travel Telescope
The Orion GoScope II telescope is one of the most impressive telescope sets that we have seen. The Orion comes with two eye pieces that will let your child get a real close up look of the moon. You see it comes with this awesome Moon Map guide which will point out cool things on the moon and give your child information about them.
The Orion telescope is also great for bird watching, looking at animals and plane spotting. With a robust carrying case, this telescope would make a great gift for any child with an interest in the stars.
Pink TwinStar AstroMark 50mm 75x Refractor Telescope
The first thing that catches your eye about the Pink TwinStar AstroMark 50mm 75x Refractor Telescope is the fact that it’s pink! Which would make it an excellent first telescope for girls
We really like the look of this telescope and its long thin body makes it nice and easy to carry around and set up. With this telescope there is two eye pieces which allow for 30 and 40 x magnification.
This will allow your girl to get a good view of the moon, the planets and even some beautiful star clusters that are in deep space!
There also are a few interesting extras that come with this telescope. To start with there is a lunar map which your child can put on their bedroom wall to help them find certain places on the moon. It also comes with a book that teaches your child about space and astronomy. Last of all are some cool glow in the dark space stickers. These may not help their stargazing, but they sure do look awesome!
Orion FunScope 76mm TableTop Reflector Telescope For Kids
The Orion 10033 FunScope 76mm TableTop Reflector Telescope is one of the lower cost telescopes on this list for best telescopes for kids.
It is designed to be a “my first telescope” kind of telescope that lets you see if a child has an interest in astronomy. First of all this is easy to use as it is small and just sits on a table top or a window ledge.
The Orion telescope is more powerful than it looks though. Due to the design and the optics they have used the telescope can collect up to 60 percent more light, making for much clearer images. We know that this telescope may look small but don’t be fooled, as it’s actually powerful enough to see craters on the moon! To help with this it comes with a really cool guide book that gives information about the moon and also tells your child where they should be looking.
We really love this telescope. It is affordable, takes up very little space, but it is also powerful and a lot of fun to use. It could be just what you need to inspire your child to take an interest in science.
Celestron 127EQ PowerSeeker Telescope – Best Telescopes For Kids
Rounding up our list of best telescopes for kids is this incredible Celestron 127EQ PowerSeeker Telescope. Celestron are one of the top names in telescopes and this one here is one of the more high end telescopes on our list.
First of all this telescope is very easy to set up and take down again. Thanks to three barrow lenses this telescope is supercharged so that it can see further and give your child a crystal clear view of the universe.
We really like how Celestron have gone out of their way to make stargazing as easy as possible. Sometimes kids can have trouble moving the telescope when trying to find an object as they move it too fast! That will not be an issue with this telescope as it has slow motion controls which makes looking for specific objects much easier.
One extra cool bonus that comes with the Celestron Powerseeker is the Sky Level 1 software. With this the telescope can find over ten thousand celestial objects for your child to look at. No doubt that this will really inspire them to keep watching the skies!
The special Sky Level 1 star finder software is something none of the other telescopes have, making the Celestron Powerseeker the winner of this list.
What should you look for before buying a telescope for your child?
First of all there are three types of telescopes to choose from:
Those three types are:
- Refractor telescopes
- Reflector telescopes
- Compound telescopes
All three telescopes catch as much light as possible from celestial objects but do it in a different way. Each type of telescope will come with its own advantages and disadvantages.
A Refractor Telescope:
A Refractor telescope is the most common used telescope, it features a big lens at the front that directly sends light to a mirror at the back of the telescope. That image can then be seen in the eyepiece. So in short this is the telescope with the simplest design.
What are the advantages of a refractor telescope?
- Their simple design makes them the easiest to use, which is ideal for a child.
- The refractor telescope needs no maintenance and has a sealed tube which protect the optics
- A refractor telescope can be used for earth objects, like wildlife and plane spotting
What are the disadvantages of a refractor telescope?
- They are not the best for watching deep space or faint objects.
- They can be bulky and heavy
A Reflector Telescope:
Like the name says this is a telescope that reflects light that is gathered by the lens at the end of the tube. This light is then being send to a mirror which then reflects it into the eyepiece. The optics of this telescope are a little more advanced than those of a refractor telescope.
What are the advantages of a reflector telescope?
- This telescope is better for viewing deep space an faint celestial objects
- Because of the extra mirror this telescope offers superior image quality
- It’s easier to handle as the design is compact and light weight
What are the disadvantages of a reflector telescope?
- A reflector telescope has an open tube which can collect dust
- A reflector telescope does require a little maintenance
- Unlike a refractor telescope this can only be used as an astronomical telescope, it’s not suited for earth objects
A Compound Telescope:
A compound telescope which is also known as a Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope combines an optical lens with 2 mirrors which are located at the front and back of the telescope. This telescope offers the best of both the refractor and the reflector telescope.
What are the advantages of a compound telescope?
- The compound telescope is excellent for viewing deeper space and faint objects
- It can also be used for earth objects
- The optics are protected because of a sealed tube
- The compound telescope is a great telescope for astrophotography
What are the disadvantages of a compound telescope?
- They are heavier
- A compound telescope usually is more expensiveThe use of two mirrors can reduce brightness
So which type of telescope should I buy for my child?
All three telescopes will be excellent for a young stargazer, the thing you must decide is where you would like to use it for.
- I’m looking for a beginner telescope for kids: Refractor or reflector telescope
- I’m looking for a maintenance free telescope: Refractor telescope
- I’m looking for a telescope that can also observe earth objects: Refractor or compound telescope
- I’m looking for a telescope that can view deeper space and faint objects: Reflector or compound telescope
- I’m looking for a telescope that has superior image quality: Reflector or compound telescope
- I’m looking for a telescope that is suited for astrophotography: Compound telescope
